Schools and Educational Visits

Join us for a day of fun, discovery and excitement at the Yorkshire Air Museum and let our Museum Guides enthral your pupils by bringing to life over 150 years of aviation history within authentic wartime surroundings!

This is what schools say about their visits to the Yorkshire Air Museum:

‘Thank you so much for yesterday. The activities were well organised and run and the children had a very enjoyable day finding out so many interesting facts about the wonderful aircraft, pilots and engineers. I was impressed to see the care you had taken to link the events to our topic area. This makes the day so much more valuable for both children and staff alike.’ – Barlby Bridge Community Primary.

‘We visited here as part of a two day residential to York from Cumbria as a culmination of our World War Two topic. It was the highlight of the trip for the children and staff alike. The staff could not have been more welcoming or friendly and all facilities for the group were excellent. [..] David had the children spellbound by his tales of life during the war. I was especially impressed by how he tailored his talk to what the group was interested in. [..] We could have stayed all day chatting with David but it was lucky we didn’t as we would have missed the most well thought out and structured activity I have come across on a school trip. The children learned to be paratroopers. It was very atmospheric being in the actual plane and using the same routine and drills. All staff (The three musketeers) were fantastic. They had so much patience with the children and a usually challenging class really responded to their passion and knowledge of the era. I thoroughly recommend this museum.’ Westfield Nursery Primary School.

“I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you and all of the volunteers for a wonderful morning last Saturday. The children (and staff) thoroughly enjoyed the visit and it was just a shame that we could not stay any longer. Many children said it was their favourite part of their whole Yorkshire experience”. Cranleigh Prep School.

Every year, our educational team accompanies hundreds of school children and their teachers on their learning journey. With our authentic wartime surroundings, original exhibits and a collection of 60 aircraft and military vehicles on display, the children who visit the Museum on a school visit never forget this immersive experience.

Over the years, the Museum has become one of the most interesting and dynamic museums of its type in the country. As well as being home to the only Allied Air Forces Memorial in Europe, the Yorkshire Air Museum is the largest independent aviation museum in the UK. Our acclaimed aircraft collection showcases flight from its very early origins in Yorkshire through to the latest technology of the supersonic age. The Museum is based on the original wartime RAF Elvington station and children can experience wartime life when visiting the Officers Mess, the original Control Tower and the Airmen’s Billet.

The exhibitions and displays at the Yorkshire Air Museum cover a wealth of curriculum subjects. We have created guided activities, ‘Early Flight and the development of aviation technology’.

What does a typical school visit include?

On a typical school visit with booked Guided Activities, we welcome your school party after 10 am. Following a short introductory welcome to the school, the pupils are split into sets and taken on their discovery tours of the Museum by our friendly guides.

Over the course of the day, each group will get to experience various aspects, histories and displays at the Museum which are related to the subject they are studying. Each school visit is planned individually and tailored as possible to your curriculum focus.

Typically, pupils will go through two guided sessions in the morning, have lunch in our dedicated room and complete a third session in the afternoon before departing between 2 and 3 pm. Each visit also includes some time in our Air Power Zone where pupils can play and get to sit in open cockpits.

What group sizes do we cater for?

The Yorkshire Air Museum is based on a 20 acre sites with 15 indoor exhibits. We have a dedicated room which can accommodate up to 100 children on self- led trips. However, if you plan to have guided activities on the day of your visit, we prefer to welcome groups of up to 40-50 children to ensure optimised benefits for each child. If your group is larger and you still wish to have guided activities, talk to us about the best way to organise a successful and exciting visit.

What do we provide teachers?

On confirmation of a school trip, we will send you some resources and guidance to optimise your visit.
The Museum has a generic school visit risk assessment which you can use and adapt for your particular visit. As the organising teacher, you are also welcome to conduct a pre-visit of the museum for free.

We have developed a combination of self-led trails which are relevant to different parts of the 2018/2019 KS2 curriculum.

We work in partnership with the Royal Aeronautical Society and have also produced a joined KS2 educational resource ‘Reach for the Sky’ on the history and development of aviation. This resource is available to purchase when booking a school trip to the Museum.
Each school visit operates under the guidelines of our Child and Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding policy. This policy is available electronically at the organising teacher’s request.

School group booking rates are:

Admission only (self led visit) £4.50 per child with 1 free adult per 10 children. Additional adults are charged at £7.00 each.

Guided Activities: £2.50 per child for the day.

The booking fee includes access to an indoor room for the day where the children can eat their lunch.

Other information you may find useful:

We have no restrictions as far are taking photos, videos or audios as long as teachers have full approval from parents for children to do so.

No specific clothing is required although as some of the exhibits are outdoors we recommend weatherproof clothing.

The Museum has first aid facilities and qualified personnel on site.

The Museum has a fully licensed restaurant serving hot meals and refreshments, a picnic area, a family open cockpit area and a Museum Shop where children can purchase small souvenirs for as little as 50p.

The Museum is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm during British Summertime and from 10 am to 4 pm during British Wintertime.